‘This is a cold cruel world’
The Dark Below is a 2015 horror survival thriller written, co-produced and directed by Douglas Shulze (The Monster Show; Mimesis; Dark Fields; et al) from a storyline co-written with Jonathan D’Ambrosio. It stars Lauren Mae Shafer, David G.B. Brown and Veronica Cartwright (Alien).
A young woman (Lauren Mae Shafer) struggles for survival beneath a frozen lake while a cold-blooded serial killer (David G.B. Brown) stalks her from the surface…
The film, which has minimal dialogue, features a distinctive soundtrack by artist Eric Bobo (Cypress Hill, The Beastie Boys)
The Dark Below is released theatrically in the US by Parade Deck Films on March 10, 2017.
Reviews:
“While it’s not a perfect film — the frost bite would be more extreme in reality, there are a few issues with the sound design, and the score is bit over the top in telling you what to feel — The Dark Below is a frozen-solid thriller that will chill you to the bone.” Michelle Galgana, Screen Anarchy
“In place of speech, there is an endless brooding soundtrack and after a while the verbal silence just became a little bit of a gimmick that got a lot old. A Dark Below is an interesting experiment as a film and it definitely has its moments (plus a cameo by Veronica Cartwright). Parts of it are riveting, but its chosen format causes some pacing issues and the story itself suffers from stretched plausibility.” Adam Ruhl, Pop Culture Beast
” …the film treats the audience to some striking underwater photography and a tense, haunting soundtrack. For awhile, it’s riveting. Then, it gets a little old. The film tries to shoehorn in a twisty plot about how she got there that’s a bit contrived and ultimately silly, with a groan-worthy payoff.” Laura Di Girolamo, Cinefilles
” …it’s dialogue free and Schulze is able to get much more plot details and character across through visuals, music and sound. Schulze could have played The Dark Below as a straightforward thriller and tick many of the usual conventions, but by creating his own rules, he’s able to craft a film that stands well above other claustrophobic survival dramas.” Niall Brown, Movies in Focus
Main cast:
Lauren Mae Shafer (Fractured; Mimesis; Secrets in the Walls), David G.B. Brown (The Ark of the Witch; Mimesis), Veronica Cartwright (The Invasion; Alien), Zachary Levine, Seraphina Anne Zorn, Tiffany Burns.
